The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men

Summary

From the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed comes a darkly comic trip to the furthest reaches of the masculinity crisis

His only child is lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, sending Jon Ronson on an extraordinary adventure into a dark world of unmoored men desperately searching for purpose and control—whatever the cost.

With zero warning, the crisis of masculinity and its bizarre, wrecking-ball manifestations had crashed into Jon’s life. As his investigation deepens, urgent questions come to light: What exactly is “Princessing”? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers? How did a paid-up member of the Skeptic Society derail his life in the name of a warped vision of chivalry? And, more pressingly, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit?

In our rapidly changing society, many men have become detached from reality; some are behaving like separatists, while others have fallen deep down ideological rabbit holes. Is this a complete fracturing of society, a new era of disinhibition where anything goes?

Drawing on his trademark brand of humor, psychological insight, and unrivaled prescience, The Castle marks Jon Ronson’s long-awaited return to the written page in his darkest and most insightful book yet—one where he throws open the doors to the Castle and reveals a new lost generation of men.

©2026 Jon Ronson (P)2026 Penguin Audio